


WOZWALD

by witchez



Series: Familiar Scent of an Unknown God [2]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: Abuse, Alternate Universe - Gods & Goddesses, Auto-Responder | Lil Hal and Dirk Strider are Twins, Godstuck, M/M, OOpS!, Trans Auto-Responder | Lil Hal, also dirk gets his throat cut, also seb is mute and uses sign language, android lil sebastian, graphic description of literally stealing someones eye, ill leave a gods list in the notes :), it's part of the backstory but it's very gross, its an oracy outcome which means i have to read it to my class, my teacher really likes my writing and she edited this as well!, my tumblr is vocaloidzz!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-12
Updated: 2019-09-16
Packaged: 2020-05-01 20:31:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19185043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/witchez/pseuds/witchez
Summary: you cannot light the fire from inside the house; unless you desire to be in flames.





	1. a Pseudo-Pioneer Committing a Crime

**Author's Note:**

> The story is named after WOZWALD, a japanese song. All chapter titles come from the english translation/cover by JubyPhonic.
> 
> Gods;  
> Dave; god of blood & time, _titled_ god of warfare  
> Rose; god of light (soul collection)  
> Roxy; god of void (soul collection)  
> Seb; god of health (inherited after Dani died/was demoted)  
> Dirk; god of fates (this instance turns him destructive)  
> Jake; god of flora (nature)
> 
> please be aware of the tags.

**I** wake up in Jake's bed, slowly sitting up as to not wake the man beside me. Upon looking out of the partially covered windows of Jake’s room, I estimate the time is around 2 in the afternoon. I get out of the bed tentatively, realising I had nothing on. I stand painfully, grabbing a shirt on my way to the ensuite.

I look at myself in the mirror, assessing the damage Jake caused. It isn’t the worst he’s ever done; heavy bruising from my chest up, along with my thighs. Many wounds cover me, mainly bites or scratches. I sigh, running my hands over the wounds. As usual, they’re not healing very well. I lean forward to open the cupboard and grab the first-aid kit, but it isn’t there.

I curse as I exit the ensuite, finding Jake sitting up in his bed facing me, likely watching me in the bathroom and waiting for my return. I refuse to look him in the eyes, but he reaches to grab my face. He moves me how he pleases, looking at every mark he made. He smirks, and drops me, the smug bastard.

“Where have you hidden it, Jake?” I glare at the ground as I ask. He chuckles and I become increasingly annoyed. It’s an easy question to answer and I am clearly wounded. He knows what I’m asking for.   
“Hidden what, Kitten?” He knows I hate the names he calls me, whether positive or not. I groan and walk out, but feel immediate regret as Jake calls after me aggressively. “Foolish move, Dirk.”

I walk towards the kitchen quickly but Jake storms out, chasing after me, larger and quicker than I could ever be. For a moment the situation seems fine, but then he reaches out and grabs me by my throat, lifting me off the ground. I can feel vines crawling up my legs as he grips my fragile windpipe, my breathing becoming laboured.

“How dare you speak to me like that?” Jake snarls. He drops his hold on me but I’m stuck in place, held up by the tangle of vines he summoned. I look up at him, my eyes hooded, and I can see murder in his eyes; he clearly doesn’t care about what happens to me.   
“You’re a fool, Dirk.” He growls as he walks around me, watching as I struggle against the cage he has made for me. “You know struggling against them is futile.” I snarl in response.

He acts so high & mighty, yet he’s on the same level as any god, if not lower. Being the God of Flora isn’t something to be so obnoxious about, unlike Dave; the God of Warfare is something to be proud of. Jake’s powers aren’t intended to be destructive, yet he uses them in such a horrid way, causing harm to others.

I zone out, lost in these thoughts, until I feel cold metal against my neck. Looking down, I can see it’s the ceremonial knife we keep in one of the kitchen draws. It was a gift from Roxy for my 17th. It’s traditionally used to summon her, or Rose or Dave, depending on the summoning circles symbols. The knives are hard to find in the human world, but very easy to find if you happen to be related to all three of these gods, especially as a gift. We keep it in case of emergencies, and obviously Jake believes this is an emergency.

“You’re so pretty when you shut up.” Jake obviously believes I’m much more restricted than I am. I’m still perfectly lucid, simply keeping quiet as to not give myself away. He presses the knife in, starting to pull it across my throat. I can feel the blood starting to drip, but highly doubt the severity of the wound. Jake laughs viciously, echoes of his descent into madness.

Before I even register the movement, Jakes fingers are in my eye. His- His fingers are digging around my right eye socket, pulling at my eyeball. Shit, what the fuck? “STOP!” I start begging & pleading, my brain hazy. I squeeze my other eye shut, but feel some movement from Jake.

He carves my eyeball from my face.

I scream, blood pouring out of my socket and into my mouth. I can taste the iron as it drips, and Gods does it make me sick. It’s disgusting. Even now, the bastard is obviously willing to go further. What will he do next? Cut me open? Gut me? Slice me to fucking bits?

In my moment of fear, I think of my brothers. Sebastian, stuck in an android body. He probably doesn’t feel like himself. And yet, he still makes it through. Dave, such a vengeful god, yet still loving a human. He allows himself to live; to grow and move on. And Hal. He has been through so much, and yet he’s still here. He supports us all, no matter what.

I could die here, and nobody would care. I’d be back within days; it wouldn’t be a big deal.

Except it would be. There are so many people who would be upset, even with the knowledge that I would be back within days. With the anatomy of humans, it’s so easy to die; it’s natural that gods would have such a system. We heal fast and reincarnate the same as the last; that doesn’t take the pain and hurt away.

I feel a pull, but it isn’t physical; it’s a string. It’s subtle, but it’s enough. I pull it back and see it turn white in the depths of my mind. Hal is nearby. I need to survive; if not for myself, then for the ones I love.

Jake brings the knife up to my throat again, smiling maniacally. There is no trace of sanity left in his movements, no trace of the man I once loved. I close what’s left of my eye, my eyelids clamped over the surviving eye and the opposites empty socket. It’s the most I can do to stop the delirious look I’m receiving. Thinking quickly and irrationally, I work up all of the power I have and push forward, driving the knife deep into my throat. As the vines detangle, I can feel things breaking, snapping, tearing. It’s broken fucking something; I have no voice left.

Looking at Jake for a split second, there’s a trace of astonishment in his eyes, as though he wasn’t expecting my move. In my slowly fading consciousness, I feel glad that I was able to surprise such a fool.

I can feel the pull of the white string of fate Hal attached as I hit the floor and I smile, before curling up in pain. Jake doesn’t move at all, likely stunned by my own move. Hal is calling out to me, but without a voice I can’t reply. I try my best to hit the floor, to give him some sense of where I am.

Jake obviously realises what I’m doing and rushes to leave. By the time he opens the door, it’s too late. Rose and Roxy are standing there, their scythes already driving down to slice into him. I curl in on myself more, not wanting to watch.

I hear more footsteps, and soon Sebastian and Hal are right by my side. Their glow is faint, but obvious to me. Their hands rest on me, trying to find where the worst wounds are; I’m covered in them, some fresh and some barely healed.

“Jesus fuck, Dirk.” Hal says as he moves some of my hair out of my face, touching right where my missing eye is. I hiss, and he reacts by reaching back quickly. I slowly open my eyes, and Sebastian turns away. “Oh Gods, what has he done?” Hal whispers. I frown, mostly of shame.

“ _ Does it hurt? _ ” Seb signs. I move my hands up, and slowly sign “ _ Not really. _ ” Before wincing as their hands come up to my throat.

In the background, I can hear Dave entering and automatically dealing a fatal blow to Jake. I don’t dare look, keeping focused on the two with me, even as I can hear the corpse hitting the ground and the weapons doing the same.

Shortly after, I can see the three in front of me, looking distraught, even covered in blood. Hal sheds his jacket, shoving it against my neck, carefully taking the knife away. I feel it leave and feel the blood seeping everywhere.

As I start losing consciousness entirely, I can vaguely hear Hal giving directions and feel multiple hands helping to heal my wounds. Sebastian is working through my throats workings, but I’ve lost so much blood, I don’t think I’ll make it.

“ _ I’ll lose Hal. _ ” is my last thought before darkness takes up my consciousness.


	2. a Frail Chest; No Love is Left.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fates are truly mysterious, aren't they?

I wake up in a bed. It isn’t my bed, because it’s alone in the room. My own bed isn’t as big as this one. My own bed is in the room I share with Hal, it’s a single bed with three pillows and a stuffed dog Hal gave me when we were 5. When I look around the room, I realise that the windows have no depth; this is Upstairs.

Upstairs isn’t _really_ a place. It’s basically a supernatural doctor's office situated inside a void at this point.

“You’re awake.” I hear my older brothers voice say. I can hear a slight whir of mechanics in the background, likely from a fan inside some kind of machine. I slowly turn to look at Dani, opening my mouth to say something but just as I do, he interrupts me. “Don’t talk, Dirk.” I close my mouth automatically and move to sit up. I rush to sign things, attempting to explain what happened and ask where anyone is. Dani watches for a few seconds as he walks closer, and then calmly grabs my hands as to stop my movement. “I can’t tell what you’re saying, Dirk.” I blink slowly and then nod. Why didn’t he ever learn sign language?

I hear the door open, then turn to watch as Sebastian and Hal enter. Hal doesn’t really look at me, keeping his eyes to the floor. Seb makes a terrified sound when he looks at me, probably because they both don’t want to see the wounds I’ve been dealt. Seb looks away, reaching down to grab Hal’s hand. I feel ashamed.

Dani drops my hands and walks over to the two, putting a hand atop Seb’s head, ruffling his hair slightly. “You can talk to him, you know.” He says. I must look pathetic; I’ve started to frown, much more out of fear than anything. Seb nods and drags Hal along to sit next to me. Hal finds a spot on the bed, while Seb sits on a chair next to it.

“You look like shit.” Hal says. He’s not looking at me and hasn’t since he walked in. I tap his leg so he’s looking at my hands.   
“ _You haven’t even looked at me yet, asshole._ ” My hands move quickly, but I know he’s able to read what I sign. It’s like a superpower of the Striders - able to read quick sign language.  
“Saw you before. You’ve been asleep ‘a few days, so it’s not like I wouldn't’ve had the chance.” I think about what he says and remember the vague warmness of Hal as I drifted in darkness.  
“You were there.” He laughs as I finish signing. It’s a laugh tinted with sarcasm and it’s very Hal. It’s something I didn’t realise I had missed.  
“I watched you die, of course I was there. I had to make sure you didn’t drift to the wrong place.” I understand what he’s saying, of course. The fates would have taken me away, seeing me as rogue and useless. It’s something they always do to anyone they find unneeded, and I’m no longer useful to them.

As we bicker, Seb sits beside us fidgeting. He’s always been fidgety, likely just him needing to stim or move. I stop moving my hands and block Hal out, ignoring him. As I reach towards Sebastian, he seems to flinch back like a timid animal, until my hand lands on his head. I rub his hair and he seems to lose the discomfort he was holding in. He’s still very finicky but he’s able to look up at me without being scared.

“ _Does it hurt?_ ” He asks, much like he did when I was on the floor of the apartment. I withdraw my hands, fiddling with them for a second as I think.   
“ _Not really._ ” I reply with the same answer as before, and again it’s a lie. This time, Seb sees through my lie, and shakes his head.   
“ _You’re hurting, Dirk._ ” I nod, feeling my face twist with a frown. I’m frowning a lot today.   
“ _I’ll be okay. Dani is here to look after me._ ” I have a hard time signing _‘Dani’_ , realising we don’t have a specific sign for his name. I instead use individual letters, filing away the idea of making Dani his own sign in the back of my mind.

Hal jumps back into the conversation.  
“I’m sure he’s ready to get rid of you.” He says, and Dani looks confused.   
“Is this about me, now? Are you talking about me?” Dani sounds extremely worried, like his younger brothers are going to shit talk him to hell and back.   
“ _Tell him we’re talking about me._ ” I sign to Hal, who sighs before complying.   
“They’re just talking about Dirk. I said you probably want to get rid of him already.” Dani visibly relaxes, a small smile working onto his face.   
“It’s the most I’ve seen of you since you were both kids.” His voice is quiet, unsure if he’s allowed to say it. I smile.   
“ _Tell him it’s okay. Tell him we’ll visit more._ ” I sign at Hal.   
“I’m not your messenger.” Hal replies, then realising that I can’t speak and _has_ to tell Dani for me. He sighs again. “He says it’s okay, and that we’ll visit more.” I nod. Hal looks vaguely angry.   
“Okay, that’s okay. I’ll let you go home in a day or so, once you’ve healed. I have a clock connected to your house.” I frown when he says ‘your house’, but I feel much too tired to correct him. After being asleep for a few days, I’m suddenly very overwhelmed by the social presence in the room.

“ _I’m tired._ ” I sign, punctuating it with a yawn.  
“You’re not tired.” Hal says, his voice suddenly laced with anger. “You’re afraid,” He pulls me back by my shoulder, forcing me to look him in the eyes. “You’re overwhelmed,” He shoves me back further, and I just barely avoid hitting my head against the wall.   
“Hal-” Dani tries to interrupt, but I put my hand up to stop him.   
“You’re jealous.” Hal finishes. I nod, careful to not look at him properly. He shoves me again. “Answer me, Dirk!” He all but yells, and I shrink back in on myself.  
“That’s enough, Hal.” Dani puts his hand on my shoulder and I recoil further.  
“I’m tired, Hal.” I whisper. I feel tears prickling at my eyes.

He sighs and lays down next to me. Dani and Seb abscond. “I’m tired too, Dirk. I’m in a lot of pain because of your fucking boyfriend.” I lay down too, reaching to entice my swirls on his face. “He hurt you so much. He.. he poisoned you. He put some plant shit in your body, your blood, and now you can’t heal like a god.” I nod as he closes his eyes. He seems calmer. “He made you deformed.” Hal’s voice is getting hoarse, likely from the yelling earlier. We lay in silence for a few minutes, Hal with his eyes closed and me watching the swirls on his face. “The Fates say you’re not welcome anymore.” He whispers. I nod again.  
“I know.” I whisper back. My throat really hurts, but I’m not speaking a whole lot so I’m not overly worried.

We lay there for a while and before I know it, I’m asleep again.

I know where I am while I drift, this time. I can feel it before I open my eyes. I’m in a familiar place, yet it feels completely wrong. I don’t feel present at all but also feel as though I’m invading someone’s private space.

“He is not welcome back.” a voice echoes as I look down at my body, finding it ghostly and transparent. Am I dead? Have I died and this is the heavens for the gods? “He is a disappointment to our names.” The voice is deep and judgemental.  
“You’re right.” another voice says. It’s much more feminine, but still just as loud and judgemental as the other.  
“Quite.” A new voice speaks. It’s commanding yet light, like a mothers. “You are not welcome here, Dirk. You need to go home before they see you.” The voice says, nearly directly in your ear. You brainlessly nod as you’re shoved from the void you were in.

I awaken to the floor. It’s cold. I can hear Hal snoring behind me as I check in with myself. I don’t feel any pain and my throat doesn’t hurt at all. That’s… odd. I know Dani and Seb have strong powers, but I didn’t think they could heal me so quickly. It can’t have been long if Hal is still asleep himself, certainly not enough time to have healed me so much. The door opens quickly, and Dani and Seb rush over to see if I’m alright.

“I’m perfectly fine.” I say. “Like, completely fine.” I add, my voice tinged with worry. Dani is staring wide-eyed and Seb is checking my head and throat, then my pulse.  
“ _How_?” Seb asks, his hands slow and questioning. I ponder my answer, remembering my dream.   
“There was a lady in my dreams. She.. she sounded like a memory. She reminded me.. She reminded me of mom.” I whisper the last part, having very few memories of our mother.

Dani looks worried, and lifts us both up off the ground, waking Hal in the process. “If you’re fine now, you can go home. I’m sure you miss it.” He sounds on-edge and defensive. He’s already shoving us out of the door, the one that connects to our home.

When we're safely out of the room, he slams the door in our face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No Beta this time!!! and no more chapters. I'll add more about their mom in future stories!!

**Author's Note:**

> this will be good, i promise. although Jake never really redeems himself. or appears again.


End file.
